November festivals: Guru Nanak’s birthday in India

Design henna tattoos with your children, to link to this important Indian festival.

Image by Ekabhishek / Wikimedia Commons

All over Punjab, India’s Sikh state, Sikhs visit gurdwaras (temples) to honour their Religion’s founder; Guru Nanak. The gurdwaras (meaning the gateway to the Guru), are decorated with flowers and lights, and hymns from the Guru Granth Sahib are sung here as part of the celebrations. The congregation will go on to share a meal from the free kitchen (langar), including the sweet treat, Karah Prashad, which is blessed. The celebrations are most impressive at Amritsar’s beautiful Golden Temple, the most revered gurdwara and home of the original copy of Sikh holy book; the Guru Granth Sahib